Mad Dad, Fun Dad

by Doug Draper

  Things went well for about a half hour and then a staunch wind swept through the valley and provided a frigid warning of more snow coming. Ben trudged ahead and tried to ignore the plunging temperature and his fatigue. A promising change came when he emerged from a hearty growth of pine trees and discovered a small clearing with a trail crossing it. The wind had partially uncovered the trail or Ben might have missed it. He decided to follow the trail and see how far west it would take him.

  While the trail boosted his speed, he suffered extreme pain where the straps of his backpack burrowed into his shoulders. The tenderness made him want to toss the backpack aside, but Ben kept his gear because it would be the difference between surviving the hike or freezing to death. Eventually, he would need to set up a camp where he could build a fire to cook a hot meal and dry his clothes that had become damp from melted snow. Stopping to build a fire would make it easy to be found, but he had nearly reached the point where it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t last much longer.

  By the time Ben made it to the cluster of boulders, he had stumbled twice from dizziness and decided that a break was necessary. After a quick review of the rocky area around the boulders, he identified a ledge on the hillside south of the boulders where he could rest—and hide in case Derek remained in pursuit.

  Before climbing to the ledge, Ben kept going straight ahead on the trail to create the impression that he had continued that way. He made sure his footprints stood out on the snowy trail until coming to a place where the trail had more rocks than snow. He used that point for his exit, carefully stepping on rocks while backtracking to the ledge.

  When he reached the rock slide, it became easier to move without creating a trail of footprints. He soon reached the ledge and then looked for a place to set up camp. He found a small gap within a pile of small boulders and fallen pine trees that would keep him out of sight if he crouched or laid down.

  Ben rolled out his sleeping bag inside his hiding place. Despite the bag being slightly damp from melted snow, he expected his body heat to warm it. Before getting into the sleeping bag, he unlaced his boots and pulled them off. He also removed his socks, finding blisters on all toes and both heels. Hiking in cheap boots for eight hours had left his feet in dreadful condition.

  Next, he used his scout knife to open a can of peaches and devoured the contents, even drinking the juice that he normally would have tossed out. He ate a few of the hot dog buns and some of the cookies that he had taken from the campfire party. He considered heating up his can of soup, thinking how comforting it would be to have a hot breakfast, but he decided to save the soup—his only can—until he could safely build a fire.

  Having relieved his hunger, Ben stretched out for a nap and hoped the shelter would keep him safe and dry. Despite being chilled, he began to drift off as soon as he rested his head on his backpack. The sound of the persistent wind rushing through the trees provided a soothing atmosphere for much needed rest. As exhaustion took control of his mind, Ben warned himself that he could only sleep for one hour. Then he should resume his trek to the base of the mountains that stood between him and Nephi, where he would begin the next leg in his journey to Zion.

  CHAPTER 38

  A familiar voice invaded Ben’s dreams—Derek Dean. Hearing him wrenched Ben completely out of deep slumber. He crawled within his rock fortress to a position that allowed him to see the nearby area. He found the ledge empty, but he heard two men talking—Derek and the other had to be either Luke or Wayne.

  In case he needed to start running, Ben put on his socks and boots, fighting through the pain of applying pressure to his blistered toes and heels. Until he had a firm plan for his next steps, he decided to leave the rest of his gear behind except for his canteen, hatchet, and hunting knife. He attached those essential items to his belt and slid anxiously out of the crevice to spy on Derek.

  With sunrise now underway, Ben glanced at his watch and was surprised to find out that he had slept for more than two hours. Even though he might have collapsed on the trail, his long nap had allowed his pursuers to close the gap. And now he faced a likely end to his journey that promised to be painful and probably fatal. He imagined his body being buried in these rugged mountains—never to be found.

  To his relief, the snow had stopped falling, and the rising sun fought to peek through the remaining clouds. Even the frigid wind had calmed down. Only a slight breeze swept the canyon. And the sunlight raised the temperature slightly.

  Despite facing many challenges, Ben’s hunters had followed him all night and now searched for him within speaking distance. When the chase started, Ben thought they lacked the willpower and stamina to pursue him for more than an hour. He also doubted that they had the skills to track him in the dark. On the other hand, he left a path through the fresh snow that even city boys could follow.

  Looking over the lip of the ledge, Ben saw Derek and Luke studying the trail at the point where Ben had backtracked to his current location. “I’m sure he stopped here and then changed direction,” Luke said, pointing at Ben’s last visible footprint. “Even with this trail being rocky, we’d see something ahead of us, but there aren’t any signs of him going past this point. And look at this. Can you see how his footprint is wider at the front and back than the others?”

  “Yeah, so what?” Derek asked.

  “It shows that the boy turned to his left and then jumped from this spot to those rocks,” Luke said as he pointed out the path Ben had taken with frightening precision. “And then he probably climbed the hill to find a new trail or to hide in the rocks up there.”

  When Luke presented his conclusion, his pointing finger rose from the trail below Ben and came to rest at the spot where he watched the discussion. Ben quietly slid away from lip of the ledge and crept back to where he had left his gear. His only chance of evading Derek and Luke relied on his ability to stay ahead of them and force them to abandon the chase when he led them to a higher altitude.

  As Ben quickly repacked, he tossed aside a few items to travel lighter and faster. He reluctantly kept one heavy item—the stolen gun. Before returning it to his backpack, he checked to make sure it was loaded and found bullets in all six chambers.

  Ben left the rock pile, looped the backpack over his shoulders, and headed higher. During the climb, he could hear Derek and Luke talking. Not everything came through clearly, but he picked up enough to know that they continued to follow his trail and found his discarded items.

  “Ben, I know you’re close by and can hear me,” Derek shouted. “You must be getting worn out by now. Why don’t you come back with us to the scout campsite, so you can confess to messing up our bikes and make things right? We won’t hurt you, but we think your father should fix our bikes for us at no charge. That’s our only request. So, quit wasting time and let’s go get a hot breakfast.”

  Ben didn’t respond or slow down and soon reached the top of the hill. At that point, he took a narrow, overgrown hiking trail that headed west and downhill. Ben walked as quickly as he could over the uneven, slippery terrain. His body protested, having been challenged well beyond its normal range by the long, cold hike.

  The two-hour nap in a damp sleeping bag didn’t give him enough rest. His shoulders hurt from carrying the heavy backpack, his calf muscles cramped from climbing so many hills, and his head throbbed from only sleeping two hours. With every step, the blisters on his toes and heels reminded him of the damage already done and that he was compounding the problem.

  Despite his weakened body, Ben set a good pace and soon connected with a trail at the bottom of the hill. When the trail entered a large clearing, he turned to see if Derek and Luke were following him. He immediately spotted them standing at the top of the hill. They waved and shouted his name. As an automatic reflex, he started to wave back and then quickly put his hand down, feeling silly for having treated this hike as a friendly outing.

  “Come back!” Derek shouted.

  Ben turned away from them and picked up hi
s pace to make it clear that they would have to run to catch him. He had taken about twenty paces when a gunshot rang out across the valley. It caused Ben to sprint for the far side of the clearing. Even though nothing suggested that a bullet had landed near him, he treated the shot as more than a warning. For protection, he headed toward the trees along the edge of the clearing about thirty yards away.

  Another shot came a few seconds later and he heard the bullet ricochet off a rock. It didn’t seem to be close, but fear still gripped his stomach. Before the next shot rang out, he had left the clearing and ducked behind a fallen tree.

  Ben raised his head to look for Derek and Luke. The fear that drove him to run and hide declined slightly when he noticed that Derek held a pistol, not a rifle. At this distance, even a skilled marksman wouldn’t be accurate with a pistol.

  Derek started shouting again about going back to the scout campsite. Ben thought about shutting him up by using the scoutmaster’s pistol to fire a warning shot. He knew the small-caliber pistol wouldn’t reach that far with any accuracy, but it might make Derek and Luke reluctant to continue chasing him, especially when every bend in the trail could be an ambush. He left the pistol in his backpack, deciding to save it as a surprise if he failed to outrun the men.

  Seeing Derek and Luke still standing at the top of the rock formation gave Ben a morsel of encouragement. He decided to expand his lead by crawling away from the clearing and going higher into the mountains. When he had placed enough trees between him and Derek to block any lucky bullets, he returned to the trail and headed away from his pursuers. He felt energized and ready for a fast walk. Being shot at provided the fuel needed to stay ahead of Derek and Luke for at least a few more hours.

  CHAPTER 39

  The trail continued for about a mile and then split with a branch turning sharply to the right. Another branch veered slightly to the left. Ben checked his compass and took the path to the left because it headed toward Mount Nebo. Within a half mile, the trail became much steeper and changed direction again, heading toward North Peak.

  The new path kept rising and taking him into deeper snow and thinner air. Already breathing heavily, the scarcity of oxygen at the higher elevation led to panting and a throbbing headache. Ben always loved hiking, but the stress of this painful journey stripped it of any pleasure. Instead of enjoying the scenery, he constantly surveyed the area for the best route and to check for how closely he was being followed.

  When reaching a ridge that gave him a panoramic view of the mountain range, Ben looked behind him and could see Derek and Luke doggedly tracing his footsteps. The separation between them appeared to have only closed slightly. Encouraged, he continued upward.

  After slipping on loose rocks and dropping to the snow on his hands and knees, Ben glanced to his left—eastward—and noticed a car on a winding road near the base of the mountain he was ascending. He didn’t realize that he had come so close to a road and assumed it was the same road that ran through Payson Canyon. He knew that road looped around the back of Mount Nebo and ended in Nephi. He would have taken a direct route to that road if Derek and Luke weren’t following him.

  Staggering to his feet, Ben continued trudging up the bare ridge that left him highly visible to the hunters. When making one of his backward glances, he confirmed that his hunters continued after him and were at the base of the ridge. Based on the time that Ben had spent hiking on the ridge, he calculated his lead being less than fifteen minutes.

  Ben tried to run to widen the gap, but his legs quickly grew heavy and his breathing raced out of control. He thought his lungs would burst and his head explode. He returned to walking, with regret for having wasted energy to gain a slight increase in speed.

  When reaching a point where the ridge flattened out for about one hundred yards, he paused to consider his choices. The wind had moved enough of the light, dry snow off a side trail that he could see that it led from the ridge to a parking area next to the road below. This option tempted him again because it would be easy to go downhill and then he could beg for a ride to Nephi. But the drawback of making it easier for Derek to catch him remained.

  The next option would be turning right and entering a long canyon on the mountain’s west side that appeared to curve slightly to the south but continued all the way to the valley floor. He could see the small town of Mona, which would get him within ten miles of Nephi. And taking this canyon offered the advantage of going downhill. Ben almost selected this choice and started off, but he couldn’t see any sign of a trail and worried about getting slowed down and providing Derek with a closer target for a pistol shot.

  Ben went with the third option, hiking to the mountain peak. He knew it would be the most likely way to discourage Derek and Luke. At a fast but sustainable pace, Ben continued his upward climb, keeping his eyes focused on the wind-swept peak ahead. After leaving the relatively flat portion of the ridge, he found the grade even steeper than the section below and the footing became more treacherous as the snow-covered trail led to him stumbling frequently over hidden obstacles.

  Ben’s strategy to wear out his relentless hunters began to have that same effect on him. His exhaustion reached the point where his legs refused to cooperate with his repeated commands to go faster. With no trees to block the frigid wind, Ben started to shiver despite the heat generated by the hike. And his face, hands, and feet ached from the cold. He had learned about frostbite when earning his first aid merit badge and worried that he could be a victim if he didn’t find shelter and build a fire soon.

  Despite Ben’s pain and anxiety, his resolve didn’t weaken, and he gradually approached the peak. Even though snow had stopped falling on the peak, the persistent wind picked up the accumulated snow and sent it racing along the ground. While grimacing and cursing at the torment of snow blasting him in the face, he noticed that the wind was both hurting and helping him. The benefit came from his footprints being erased within seconds. When on the mountaintop, he might be able to hide and rely on the wind to give his hunters no path to follow.

  When Ben reached the summit, he searched the eastern and western slopes for potential hiding places and selected a small tree grove on the west side as the best place to search. He hiked to the grove, but he decided not to enter it because the trees held the snow in place and his footprints would be visible. Next to the grove, he explored a rock slide that included dozens of large rocks and a few boulders.

  While leaving no footprints behind, Ben climbed through the rock pile and found a tight gap below two boulders that wouldn’t be big enough for most people, but he could squeeze into it. Water had washed dirt out from between the boulders, creating enough room for a small boy. To check the hole for snakes, Ben pushed a fallen branch into it a few times and scanned it with his flashlight. The place appeared safe and he wiggled into it, entering feet first and dragging his backpack with him. He wouldn’t be found unless Derek or Luke squatted at the entry point and looked directly in the hole.

  When hidden, Ben relied on his ears to know what happened around him. He wouldn’t be able to see Derek and Luke unless they walked by. While waiting and listening, he focused on the small sliver of the horizon visible to him and watched dark storm clouds approach from the west. More snow would arrive within the hour.

  After about twenty minutes of shivering in the hole, he heard voices in the distance. Because no reasonable hikers would climb the mountain in such weather, he assumed the voices belonged to Derek and Luke. When the talking suddenly came from the top of the rock pile, Ben’s heart pounded.

  “Do you see anything over there?” Derek asked.

  “Nothing,” Luke said. “No boy or any footprints.”

  As he finished his assessment, Luke’s legs suddenly appeared in front of Ben’s hiding place. Luke walked by without even slowing down.

  “Keep looking!” Derek shouted from a new location. “He couldn’t disappear.”

  “That’s true, but the wind has blown away any trace of him,” Lu
ke said. “I’ll give the kid credit for being clever. He picked the right trail to ditch us.”

  Ben enjoyed hearing the compliment, but he wished the men would give up in this location and search the east side of the mountain instead. His wish didn’t come true.

  Based on the sound of their voices, Derek and Luke had stopped near him. “We need a new plan,” Luke said. “We’re going to freeze to death if we spend much more time up here, especially with another storm coming. We should head to the road behind us and hitch a ride back to our bikes.”

  “Wait! Are you saying that you’re giving up on me?” Derek asked.

  “No, we’re friends and sticking together. But it’s time to admit this thing has gone on way too long. Let’s get out of here before the sheriff comes looking for that stupid kid and wants to know why we’ve been chasing him. Do you want to end up back in prison?”

  “Never again. I’ll go down shooting first.”

  “Then, come on. Let’s quit wasting time on an old grudge. By now, the little jerk has gotten the message loud and clear that you’d like to kill him. And who knows? He might keep running and die from trying to stay ahead of us while we’re sitting in a restaurant enjoying a giant plate of pancakes, fried eggs, and bacon.”

  After a long pause, Derek said, “Fine. I don’t like quitting, but I’m starving, worn out, and my feet feel frozen. Let’s go.”

  Ben soon lost any ability to track the men as they moved away from him and wind gusts pounded his side of the mountain. Time crawled by slowly as he waited and listened for more conversation. After hearing nothing for ten minutes, Ben slid out of the hole to find out if they had left the peak. He didn’t see Derek or Luke nearby, so he stood up to get a better view. When he still didn’t catch sight of them, he began to feel optimistic that they had left the mountaintop—probably for a descent of the eastern side. But Ben doubted that they had given up the chase, so he returned to his hiding place in case the men came back.